Metro Vancouver stores get into the Diamond Jubilee spirit

Fiona Anderson, Vancouver Sun06.02.2012

Delta, BC: JUNE 01, 2012 -- Steve and Lil McVittie at their specialty shop The Celtic Treasure Chest in Delta, BC Friday, June 1, 2012 with a selection of souvenirs for the Diamond Jubilee which commemorates the anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

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The Celtic Treasure Chest finally received its supply of Diamond Jubilee souvenirs Friday, but the store has already had a run on traditional British food as locals get ready to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s sixty years on the throne.

A lot of people will do a traditional English breakfast of bacon, eggs, black and white puddings — made with suet and either dried pig’s blood or rolled oats, depending on the colour — and even kippers, said Steve McVittie who along with his wife Lil, owns the three stores in Vancouver’s Dunbar area, in Delta and in White Rock that sell whatever they can get from England.

McVittie had trouble getting stock as big companies like Tesco snapped up supplies leaving his small order unfilled. But now that the ashtrays, shot glasses, silver spoons, mugs and other mementoes have arrived he expects souvenir collectors to buy the lot.

“But it’s not going to be like William and Kate, ” said McVittie referring to the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton in April 2011.

Then the store couldn’t get stock in fast enough.

“Whatever we brought in was sold out in about three or four hours,” he said.

The Flag Shop in East Vancouver got more response than expected for its flags, including the Canadian Heritage-approved Diamond Jubilee flag which had to special-ordered from the one approved manufacturer.

The company started with about 25 hand-held flags and 20 large flags “and we couldn’t keep the inventory up,” company president Susan Braverman said.

The store has now sold more than 500 of the jubilee flags plus a number of Canadian flags and Union Flags to go along with them.

The sale of souvenirs, flags and food in British Columbia will pale compared to the feeding frenzy that is expected in London.

Britons are expected to spend $1.3 billion celebrating, nearly double what they spent on last year’s royal wedding, with 32 per cent planning to buy snacks, drinks and decorations to mark the occasion according to research by online comparison website moneysupermarket.com.“After a battering from bad weather and household finances squeezed by low wage growth and high inflation, retailers are looking for a much-needed boost,” said British Retail Consortium Economist Richard Lim.“The Jubilee has the potential to create a feel-good factor that lifts consumer confidence and persuades people to put their concerns to one side, even if only temporarily,” he added.Tesco, the world’s No. 3 retailer, has already sold 93,000 paper crowns and tiaras, 1,5000 miles of bunting and 400,000 Jubilee mugs. The supermarket also expects to sell 2.86 million waving flags by the end of the weekend, which will see a 1,000 boat flotilla on the Thames, a pop concert at Buckingham Palace and a royal procession through London.“This is the biggest week we have had since the Millennium in terms of party sales with demand far exceeding sales from last year’s royal wedding and we haven’t even reached the weekend yet,” Tesco Party Range Buyer Matt Compton said.

The supermarket also expects to sell 25 million units of beer, 1.6 million sausage rolls and 2 million baskets of strawberries.Luxury department stores, like Harrods and Harvey Nichols, are also cashing in on the fun, having undergone elaborate royal makeovers as part of the festivities. Ornate golden frames replace Harrods’ famous green canopies and best selling items so far include Jubilee mugs and special edition tote bags designed for the event.“The Diamond Jubilee is a truly British celebration and for most will be a once-in-a-lifetime occasion,” said Harrods Director of Store Image Mark Briggs.High above the crowds of Oxford Street, department store Selfridges has also launched itself into full Britannia mode with a roof top garden complete with carpeted plastic grass, plush blankets along with ornate teacups and saucers.

“I think there’s a huge sense of pride and I think that it’s a wonderful time to really embrace the royal family and all the tradition and history that we have as a country,” Selfridges Head of Press Sophie Hedley told Reuters.

fionaanderson@vancouversun.comTwitter.com/fionaanderson

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